by Maria Puente, USA TODAY

by Maria Puente, USA TODAY

Kim Kardashian is learning a Twitter lesson for celebrities: There's no plus side to even seeming to take sides in the Middle East conflict.

First she tweeted Friday to her 16.6 million followers that she was "praying for everyone in Israel" now that Israelis and Palestinians are shooting at each other again with rockets in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, air strikes on Gaza, and a possible new ground war in the offing.

When her first tweet produced a backlash of angry, vicious tweets, including death threats, she added that she was "praying for everyone in Palestine and across the world!" More angry tweets and death threats followed.

So she deleted both, according to Twitchy.com, which archives deleted tweets, and directed her followers to a "message for you guys" on her blog in which she "owned up" and apologized in a thoughtful, even graceful, statement.

"I decided to take down the tweets because I realized that some people were offended and hurt by what I said, and for that I apologize," she wrote. "I should have pointed out my intentions behind these tweets when I posted them. The fact is that regardless of religion and political beliefs, there are countless innocent people involved who didn't choose this, and I pray for all of them and also for a resolution. I also pray for all the other people around the world who are caught in similar crossfires."

She wasn't entirely without friends on Twitter; lots of tweets supported her. Russell Simmons tweeted "there is no need to apologize. ur intention to promote love to ur 16m followers is much appreciated."

The old saying about how it's never good to discuss sex, religion or politics in polite company now makes even more sense for celebs on Twitter, the Hyde Park Speakers' Corner of the Internet, a rowdy free-for-all where users attack each other's opinions with abandon.

Clueless actress Stacey Dash, for instance, was stunned by the furious backlash when she tweeted support for Republican Mitt Romney before last week's presidential election.

After deleting her tweets, Kardashian went back to her usual Twitter topics - her fashion and social life. She tweeted a picture of herself and her escort, Sgt. Martin Gardner, at the Marine Corps Ball in Greenville, N.C., she attended Thursday night.